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Last night, I wanted to tell a Japanese person that a famous singer was
homosexual. And, I wanted to say it in a respectful way. The only words I knew
were オカマ and ホモ. Both make me cringe. It sounds like derogatory / harsh
slang???

Now, she didn't think オカマ sounded bad, but... she is from Shikoku, Japan's
analog to Alabama? In Tokyo, オカマ is not acceptable, right?

Anyway, in a daily conversation with educated adults, what is a way to say
"homosexual" that is no different in connotation than saying someone is
"tall", "smart", "creative", etc?

btw: We were talking about Queen's performance for LIVE AID 30 years ago this
week in Wembley Stadium. Every critic agrees that was the best live
performance, _ever_. It's on youtube to see.


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2016-07-22T00:02:55.987
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word-choice
What is a respectful way to say "homosexual (man)"?


I think the most neutral term for a third-person is 同性愛者{どうせいあいしゃ}.

If you're looking for a little less formal-sounding word ゲイ or ホモセクシュアル will
also convey the idea.

<http://www.weblio.jp/content/%E5%90%8C%E6%80%A7%E6%84%9B%E8%80%85>


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2016-07-22T00:12:28.317
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They use ニューハーフ (new-half) here all the time for men that act like women, not
sure if it works the other way around. I also hear ゲイの人 a lot.


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